A ROMSEY MP has been left shocked following "distressing scenes" from a London vigil held in memory of Sarah Everard. 

Caroline Nokes, MP for Romsey and Southampton North, has told of her shock after Met police officers were seen dragging women away from the vigil for murdered woman Sarah Everard in Clapham Common. 

Videos and photos have been shared on social media showing police dragging, holding down and leading women away in handcuffs from the vigil held last night.

Now, the head of the Met Police is under pressure to explain her officers' actions.

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was "urgently seeking an explanation" from Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, while Home Secretary Priti Patel has asked the Met for a report on what happened.

In a Tweet, Ms Nokes said that she was "truly shocked" at the scenes in Clapham Common, adding that the situation was "badly misjudged" by the Met Police. 

Speaking to the Daily Echo, Ms Nokes, who asked Home Secretary Priti Patel to “step in” and allow the vigil to go ahead, said: "The scenes from Clapham last night were distressing and I am very sorry the Met and the original organisers Reclaim These Streets could not find a way forward, that would have allowed the vigil for Sarah Everard to go ahead in a socially distanced way.

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"Whilst I absolutely appreciate there are very strong views on both sides of this argument, we must not lose sight of the fact a young woman has lost her life and many other women are, quite rightly, both grieving and angry.

"I am pleased the Government has re-opened the call for evidence for the strategy to tackle violence against women and girls.  

"What we need to come out of that is ,in my view, a women’s justice strategy so women have the confidence that if they come forward and report incidents, they will be believed, it will be taken seriously, there will be a determined effort to investigate and prosecute, that convictions will be severely punished.  

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"To tackle this scourge seriously all strands of government need to come together, Home Office, Justice, DfE, MHCLG, for 20 years we have been talking about designing out crime, planners need to take that very seriously.  

"There is no silver bullet, but I think it requires cross party effort and some real determination.  Now feels like it could be a turning point."

The event was organised after 33-year-old Ms Everard’s suspected kidnap and murder sparked anger over the safety of women on the UK’s streets.

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She was last seen in Clapham, south London, on March 3. On Wednesday, police found human remains while searching for her.

PC Wayne Couzens, a 48-year-old Met Police officer, has now been charged with her kidnap and murder and will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court today. 

A woman in her 30s arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender has been released on bail.